Black girl magic here. Black girl magic there. Black girl magic everywhere!
Track trailblazer Allyson Felix just won her first gold medal as a mom and broke Usain Bolt’s world record for most gold medals in world championships.
The 33 year old track star currently has nine medals among four games, making her the most awarded female track and field athlete in the World Athletics Championships. She gave birth to her daughter Camryn last November after a tumultuous pregnancy that included severe preeclampsia. Felix had an emergency c-section and Camryn was born at 32 weeks, a tiny 3 pounds, 7 ounces, spending her first month of life in the NICU.
Felix spoke of the experience via social media saying, “This was my entire world. staying in the NICU all day & night watching my baby girl fight. I can still hear the beeping and alarms of the machines. the uncertainty. The fear. There were a lot of days i wasn’t sure this was going to be possible. I worked harder than I even knew I could. There were tears, frustration and doubt. At times it felt like everything was against me.”
Even after 6 weeks postpartum, Felix still had difficulty walking. She also lost her 7 year Nike contract after they attempted to offer her 70% less than she was previously paid post pregnancy. Felix fought hard for maternity rights and pay protection for athletes, declining Nike’s offer and focusing on her health instead. This most recent win was pertinent for a number of reasons.
“So special, to have my daughter here watching means the world to me. It’s been a crazy year for me,” Felix told NBC Sports News. Felix, Wil London III, Courtney Okolo and Michael Cherry prevailed over Jamaica by just 2.44 seconds. And Felix clocked in her medal count at 17, breaking Bolt’s record.
This is Felix’s 9th world team, the most for any American track and field star. But Felix said that this win is just a “stepping stone,” and she hopes next year proves even more fruitful.
Congratulations Allyson!! You make us proud!